『夫人探索』
―― まえがき ――
ＷＥＢ絵本『夫人探索』
絵・訳：茜町春彦
原作：夢野久作
概要：夢野久作の掌編小説を英訳して絵本にしました．
A Picture Book
Tittle : "Exploring the wife"
Illustrated and translated by : Akanemachi Haruhiko.
Original author : Yumeno Kyusaku
―― ０１ ――
This is Mr. Nakamura Yoshio.
He was a bachelor and always daydreamed.
"If I get a million dollars, I will do this thing and that."
「百万円あったら、ああしよう……こうしよう」と空想していた青年中村芳夫は・・・
―― ０２ ――
He unexpectedly came into an inheritance from his aunt.
And he instantly became a millionaire.
・・・思いもかけぬ伯母の遺産を受け継いで一躍百万長者になった．
―― ０３ ――
Imeadiately, Yoshio spent tens of thousands dollars on building a fine house.
芳夫は早速数万円を投じて素晴らしい邸宅を建てた．
―― ０４ ――
Party girls and good liquor and local delicacies were arranged there.
And he called his friends.
They went on a spending spree night and day.
そこに美姫と、美酒と、山海の珍味を並べて、友達を集めて昼夜兼行の豪遊をこころみたために・・・
―― ０５ ――
So, he used up a million dollars and was deeply in debt.
The house on the mortgage was taken away.
And he returned to a rag.
・・・百万円は瞬く間に無くなって、些かならぬ借財さえ出来た．
その抵当に邸宅を取られた彼は、再びもとの通りの無一物になってしまった．
―― ０６ ――
"That is strange! That is mysterious! That is puzzling! There is no difference between myself before getting a million dollars and myself after losing it. My experience of waste shows that the imaginary money of a million dollars and the real money of a million dollars were the same. Oh, a million dollars! Why did you fall on me? Oh, a million dollars! Where did you go?"
Yoshio thought like that, with folded arms.
He asked his question to all the people he knew.
And he requested their answer.
「不思議だ．奇怪だ．不可解だ．百万円を得ない前の自分と、失った後の自分との間には何等の相違もない．空想の百万円と実物の百万円とは、使用した結果から見ると全く同じものであった．おお百万円よ．お前は何のために自分に天降ったのか．何故にかくも無意義に自分から消え去ったのか．おお百万円よ．お前はどこへ行った」
芳夫は腕を組んでこう考えた．
知っている限りの人々にこの疑問を提出して解決を求めた．
―― ０７ ――
"What took a million dollars away from you is a million dollars themselves," said Dr. Yamamoto, a sociologist, "Never you mind!"
山本という社会学者は云った．
「百万円をお前から奪い去ったのは、百万円自身である．お前が知ったことではない」
―― ０８ ――
"You yourself took a million dollars away from you," said Dr. Matsui, a jurist.
松井という法律学者は云った．
「お前自身がお前から百万円を奪い去ったのだ」
―― ０９ ――
"What took a million dollars of yours exists in your mind," said Dr. Murakami, a psychologist, "It has hidden in the bottom of your mind and it has been grinning secretly."
村上という心理学者は云った．
「お前の百万円を奪ったものはお前の心の中に居る．お前の心の奥に隠れて、人知れずニヤニヤ笑っている」
―― 1０ ――
Moreover, Father Kuyo gave a sermon. He was a high priest.
"You have not lost a million dollars. They have been hidden in your mind properly. For the purpose of taking back a million dollars, the best way is to find and kill the mind which took a million dollars away from you. If you do so, the money of a million dollars will return to you naturally."
また空誉という高僧はこう説いた．
「百万円はなくなっていない．お前の心の中にチャンと隠されている．その百万円を取り返すには、お前から百万円を奪った、その心を探し出して殺して仕舞うのが一番だ．そうすれば百万円のカネは、自然とお前の身に帰って来る」
―― 1１ ――
Lastly, Mr. Bansho, a fortune-teller, came to this conclusion.
"This is the formation called Heaven-Earth-Negative. If you consider natural things in a natural order, everything will get to the negative dead-end. It shows the form of an extremely strange principle. Please consider things reversing the whole order! The formation will turn to Earth-Heaven-Positive. And, everything will be settled peacefully."
最後に万象という占断者はこう判じた．
「これは天地否という卦です．自然の事を自然の順序に考えて行くと、万事が否定的のフン詰まりになるという、実に不可思議な玄理をあらわした形です．すべての順序を逆にして、考えて行って御覧なさい．地天泰という卦になって一切が泰らかに解決されてゆきます」
―― 1２ ――
After a long consideration, Yoshio visited Mr. Takayama. He was a famous detective.
芳夫は思案に余ったあげく、高山という名探偵を訪問して・・・
―― 1３ ――
He told all the details to the detective and asked.
"Please find the guy who took away a million dollars of mine! Please help me get back a million dollars! If you make it, I will give you half the money as the contingent fee."
・・・一切の経過を打ち明けて頼んだ．
「僕の百万円を奪った奴を見付け出して下さい．百万円を取り返して下さい．成功すれば謝礼としてその半額を呈上します」
―― 1４ ――
The famous detective nodded willingly.
"Please wait a moment for smoking a cigar! I think about it."
名探偵は快よくうなずいた．
「どうか葉巻を一本吸う間待って下さい．考えますから」
―― 1５ ――
As the cigar got short, Famous Detective Takayama threw it away from the window.
葉巻が短くなると、高山名探偵は窓の外へ投げ棄てた．
―― 1６ ――
He unfolded his arms and smiled as if it were no problem.
"The criminal who took a million dollars is not your mind."
組んでいた腕を解いて、事もなげに微笑した．
「百万円を奪った犯人は、あなたの心のほかに居ります」
―― 1７ ――
Yoshio was shocked.
With his sparkling eyes, he silently edged a little toward the detective.
But the famous detective was still smiling.
"The criminal is a young woman. In addition, she is very pretty. She is the perfect virgin with knowledge and chastity."
芳夫は愕然とした．
無言のまま眼を輝かして一膝進めたが、名探偵は依然として微笑を続けた．
「それは一人の若い女性です．しかも非常な美人で、学識といい、心操といい、実に申分のない処女です」
―― 1８ ――
Yoshio unconsciously shouted.
"Where is she?"
"The person who can find out her is only you in this world."
Yoshio got confused. And he said as if he told to himself.
"Why ... on earth ... is the ..."
芳夫は思わず叫んだ．
「それはどこに居りますか」
「それを探し出し得る人は世界中にあなた一人です」
芳夫は面喰った．独言のように云った．
「いったい・・・それは・・・どういうわけで・・・」
―― 1９ ――
The detective spoke in a solemn tone of voice.
"Before you got a million dollars, you must have made a lot of plans. They each were wonderfully ideal things, weren't they?"
Yoshio nodded silently.
"But you ought to have got married to an ideal pretty virgin for the first step of the plans. You completely forgot about it. If you married such an excellent lady at the same time as you got a million dollars, you would not waste any money of a million dollars of yours."
名探偵は厳粛な口調で説明した．
「あなたは百万円を得られる前に、いろんな計画を立てられたでしょう．それはどれもこれもスバラシイ理想的なものだったでしょう」
芳夫は無言でうなずいた．
「けれども、その計画の第一着手として、理想的な美少女を令夫人に迎えることをあなたは全く忘れておられました．あなたが百万円を得られると同時に、そうした立派な令夫人を迎えておられましたならば、あなたの百万円は一文も無意義に費やされずに済んだでしょう」
―― ２０ ――
Scalding tears spilled from the eyes of Yoshio the bachelor.
青年芳夫の眼から熱い涙がハラハラと溢れ落ちた．
―― ２１ ――
Famous Detective Takayama was gazing at his face and said definitely.
"That is to say ... What took away a million dollars of yours is the pretty virgin. She is your future wife. You have the right to take back a million dollars from the pretty virgin."
高山名探偵はその顔を凝視しつつ、断固として云い切った．
「すなわち・・・あなたから、あなたの百万円を奪い去ったものは、あなたの未来の令夫人たるべき、その美少女です．あなたはその美少女から百万円を奪い返すべき権利があります」
―― ２２ ――
Mr. Nakamura Yoshio admired these keen insight and reasoning ability of Famous DetectiveTakayama.
With tearful eyes, he threw himself on the floor.
"Please find out the lady, together with me! I don't mind that you will take the whole amount of a million dollars ..."
Promptly, the famous detective took on the request.
中村芳夫は、高山名探偵の、こうした炯眼と推理力に心から嘆服してしまった．
涙と共に床の上にひれ伏した．
「どうぞ私と力を合わせて、その女を探して下さい．百万円の全部をあなたに捧げても構いませんから・・・」
名探偵は一議に及ばず引き受けた．
―― ２３ ――
But, they could not easily find the perfect young woman who might take a million dollars away from Yoshio the bachelor.
けれども芳夫青年から、百万円を奪い去ったであろうほどの、理想的な若い女性は容易に見つからなかった．
―― ２４ ――
They could occasionally find such a young woman.
But, no one confessed having stolen a million dollars from Yoshio nor accepted the proposal of marriage.
稀に居るにはいたが、芳夫から百万円を奪った犯人であることを告白して、結婚の申込を承諾する少女は一人も居なかった．
―― ２５ ――
After all, Yoshio the bachelor and Famous Detective Takayama almost became beggars.
And they died on the road.
芳夫青年と高山名探偵は、とうとう乞食同様になって、野垂れ死にをしてしまった．
（了）
―― あとがき ――
この本はパブーで公開した電子書籍、夢野絵本「夫人探索」を加筆修正したものです．
